Corrugater guide member



June 21, 1955 A, F, SHELDS 2,711,206

CORRUGATER GUIDE MEMBER Filed Dec'. 51, 1952 zseets-sheet 1 June 21,1955 A. F. SHIELDS 2,711,206

CORRUGATER GUIDE MEMBER Filed DEG. 5l, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I @Y 'sitlnited jate fine Patented .inne 2l, 1955 Conaucnrnn einer. wma/manAppiication December 31, 1952, Serial No. 328,964-

'7 Claims. (ci. 154-41) The present invention relates to a roller typemachine for processing sheet stock into corrugated paper and inparticular to an arrangement for positively guiding the sheet stockbetween coacting rollers of the machine in a manner minimizinginterference with machine operation and avoiding production of faulty orunsatisfactory corrugated products.

rl`he prevalent practice in the manufacture of single faced corrugatedpaper of the type including a liner adhesively secured to the crowns ofa corrugated sheet is to provide a pair of intermeshing corrugatingrollers for e corrugating the sheet stock and a liner applying rollerarranged to cooperate with an adjacent corrugating roller for pressingthe liner orfacing sheet against the crowns of the corrugated sheet. Theaxes of the respective rollers usually are arranged parallel to eachother and spaced so that the corrugated sheet travels approximatelyonehalf of the circumference of the intermediate corrugating rollerprior to reaching the liner applying roller.

in order to hold the sheet stock in substantial registry with theintermediate corrugating roller, it has been customary to provide aseries of curved and continuous guide fingers or strips designed topermit the application of an adhesive to the respective crowns of thecorrugated sheet during travel to the liner applying roller. Usually theguide fingers extended from the line of intermeshing of the corrugatedrollers approximately to the .line of tangency between the intermediatecorrugating roller and the cooperating liner applying roller. theseguide strips interfere with the action of the intermeshing corrugatingrollers as well as with an adhesive applying roller normally arrangedalong the feed path to the liner applying roller and at a locationspaced before the latter along the feed path. In attempting to minimizethis interference, resort has been made to narrow guide strips ofrelatively light and thin material.

However, due to the continuous rubbing of the rollers and the wearingeffect of the sheet stock, it has been necessary to frequently replacethe guide strips.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novelsheet guiding arrangement for a machine adapted to the manufacture ofsingle faced corrugated paper, obviating one or more of the aforesaiddifhculties. In particular, it is another object of the presentinvention to provide guide fingers assuring the requisite positiveguidance of sheet stock being sequentially processed through acorrugating machine, yet minimizing interference with operation of therespective mechanisms of the machine.

In machines of the aforesaid character, the guide fingers or stripsinherently cause a swath or region of the corrugated paper to remainuncorrugated, the same swath being missed by the glue or adhesiveapplying roller. This arrangement resulted in products which exhibitedthe shortcomings of not being corrugated or glued along a substantiallycontinuous swath or course, resulting in structural weakness.

Therefore, it is a further object of the present inven- As is apparent,

tion to provide a machine for making single faced corrugated paperincluding guide mechanisms for the corrugating adhesive applying andliner applying rollersr which are arranged relative to each other toassure joining of the liner to the corrugated sheet in regions of thesheet corrugated during passage through the corrugating rollers.

Briefly, certain objects of thepresent invention are realized by theprovision of first and second guide lingers offset with respect to eachother and arranged adjacent the intermediate corrugating roller. One ofthe guide fingers is arranged to extend toward the line of intermeshingbetween the respective corrugating rollers and is provided with anarcuate guide surface substantially complementary to and spaced from aportion of the intermediate corrugating roller and assuring positiveguidance of the sheet stock along this portion of the roller. The otherof the guide fingers extends towards the line of tangency between thecooperating liner applying roller and the intermediate corrugatingroller and likewise includes an arcuate guide surface arranged to definethe remaining portion of the angular guide or feed path between thepoint of intermeshing of the respective corrugating rollers and the lineof tangency between the intermediate corrugating roller and the linerapplying roller. ln accordance with a further feature of the presentinvention, the respective offset guide fingers, or a number of pairs ofodset guide fingers arrangedat spaced intervals longitudinally of thecooperating corrugating and liner applying rollers, are individuallymounted on a common support for adjustment into registry with respectivecircumferential grooves provided on the appropriate rollers.

` As a still further aspect of the invention, provision is made 'for theadjustment of the respective pairs of guide fingers relative to eachother so that the guide ngers of apair cooperate to define a continuousarcuate guide path between the line of intermeshing of the corrugatingrollers and the line of tangency between the intermediate corrugatingroller and the liner applying roller.

The brief description and many other salutory advantages will occur tothose skilled in the art as the description proceeds. In order to renderthe understanding complete and lucid and further to comply with thestatutes relating to 'the same and to point out precisely where l havemade a patentable advance in the arts and sciences I have described theinvention in all its details in connection with a specific embodimentthereof shown in the accompanying drawings and set forth in theVdescription. In the drawings:

Figure l is a longitudinal sectional view taken through an illustrativecorrugating machine embodying features of the present invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged detail of the guide fingers constructed andmounted in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 3 3 ofFigure 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows. p

Referring now specifically to the drawings, there is illustrated amachine for the manufacture ofV single faced corrugated paper which maybe a final product or may be delivered to a further machine for facingthe unfaced side of the corrugated paper. The sheet S to be corrugatedis passed over a tensioning roller 10 and into a straw or sheet trimmingassembly 12 including a trimming roller 14 and a trimming head 16 havinga cutting roller 1S. Thereupon the sheet S is passed over an idlerroller 2@ to a sheet moistener assembly, generally designated by thereference numeral 22. assembly embodies a steaming roll 24 including asteam chest 26 and having a segmental cut-out 28 over which the sheetpasses. The steam chest 26 is supplied with The sheet moistenerv steamat a proper temperature whereby as the sheet S passes over the steamroller 24 it is preheated and prepared for a corrugating operation.After passing over the steam roll 24, the sheet S is fed through aguideway 28a including a plate 30 and shield 32 whereupon the sheet ispassed over a suitable feed roller 24 positioned above the corrugatingunit, generally designated by the reference numeral 36.

The corrugating unit 36 includes a pair of iutermeshing corrugatingrollers 38, 40 each of which has its external peripheral surfaceprovided with grooves or ridges, which when in engagement along a lineof intermeshing, impart corrugations to the sheet S passingtherethrough. The roller 38 is mounted on suitable stationary bearingsand is preferably supported for adjustment toward and away from thecorrugating roller 40 as and for example by means of a pivotedsupporting bracket 42 and an adjusting. coupling 44 operated from a handwheel 46 accessible exteriorly of the machine. Suitable provision maylikewise be made for adjusting the corrugating rollers 38, 40 axiallyrelative to each other. In many applications the axial adjustment of therollers may be essential to assure that the corrugating rollers havetheir respective axes in perfect parallelism and with the teeth in exactintermesh to thereby avoid cutting or crushing of the sheet S f.

during high speed operation.

The facing sheet or liner L is fed toward the corrugating roller 40 forassembly with the corrugated sheet S by suitable pre-heat rollers 48, 49arranged one above the other. The liner L passes over these rollersprior to being extended about the liner applying or pressure roller 52arranged in cooperating relation with the corrugating roller 40 along aline of tangency substantially coplanar with the line of intermesh andthe respective axes ofthe rollers 3S, 40, 52.

Below the corrugating roller 40 and along the feed path prior to theliner applying roller 59 is a silicate or adhesive transfer roller Si)fed with adhesive from a suitable pan 54, provision being made forapplication of a uniform coating of the adhesive or silicate by means ofa doctoring roller 56 and a scraper assembly 58. The silicate ortransfer roller S0 applies the adhesive to the crowns of the corrugatedsheet as it passes from the line of intermesh between the corrugatedrollers 38, 40 and the line of tangency of the corrugating roller 40 andthe liner applying roller 5t).

As is apparent to those skilled in the art, the described arrangement iscapable of corrugating the sheet S and adhesively securing to one faceof the corrugated sheet a liner. L, the resultant product beingaccessible beyond 1 the corrugatiug rollers 4u and the liner applyingroller' 52' for further processing, as and for example by providing aliner on the corrugated face opposite the liner L, or for cutting intoappropriate lengths.

In accordance with the principles of the present invention, a guidearrangement is providedlfor holding the sheet Sfin the properrelationship with respect to the intermediate corrugated roller 4l)during. travel along the arcuate path from the corrugating roller 38 tothe liner applying roller 50. This guide arrangement includes a housing62 supported by a plate or bracket 64 on the main upright frame of thesingle faced corrugating machine. Iournaled within the housing 62transversely thereof is a stub shaft 66 which carries a worm gear 68driven from a worm 7i) connected via a coupling shaft 2 to a similarworm and gear arrangement on the opposite side of the machine. Asuitable hand wheel or the like is provided for manual adjustment ofWorm 7). Integral with-the stub-shaft 66 is a threaded portion 74projecting outwardly from the housing 62 and engaging a nut` M5 fastenedin bracket 106 which supports an elongated mounting plate 76. Themounting plate is provided with a guideway 78 extending parallel to andspaced from the axis of the rollers 38, il and 50. Adjustable along themounting plate 76 are spaced pairs of supporting brackets 'ill i 80, 82,only one pair being illustrated for the purposes of clarity. Thebrackets Si), 82 may be fixed at adjusted positions longitudinally ofthe roller assemblies by the provision of suitable securing elementssuch as the bolts S4, S6 having their respective heads 84', 86'commensurate in cross-section with the cross-sectional area of theguideating therewith to define part of an arcuate guide path between theline of inter-meshing of the corrugating rollers 38, 4) and the line oftangency between the corrugating roller 49 and the liner applying roller52; The guide finger or strip 8S is adjustably supported on the bracketSi) for movement toward and away from the respective rollers in a planenormal to the axes of the rollers by the provision of suitable bolts 92extensible through elongated slots 94 provided in the finger proper andreceivable within complementary threaded holes provided in the bracket80.

Accordingly, the guide surface 90 of the finger 88 can be appropriatelypositioned relative to the periphery of the roller 4t) to'provide thedesired positive guiding of theA sheet S during travel, and furtherpermitting periodic adjustment as the surface 9d of the guide fingerwears due to frictional contact with the sheet S. Laterally offsetrelative to the guide finger 88 and arranged in a plane parallel to thelatter is a further guide linger 9S whichl extends toward the line oftangency between the corrugating roller 40 and liner applying roller 52and termi-` nates below the plane of the axes of the respective rollers.As best seen in Figure l, the adhesive applying roller 50 is providedwith a circumferential slot in the periphery thereof to permit theextension therebeyond of the guide linger 98. This guide finger likewiseincludes an arcuate v. guide surface 1% which is adapted to form asubstantial continuation of the guide surface 9i) and to cooperatetherewith in defining the arcuate guide path between the corrugatingroller 38 and the linerapplying roller 52.' Suitable provision is madeforadjusting the guide surface 1,430 into the desired position by theprovision of bolts 162 which extend through suitable slots 104 in theguide linger 93 and are received in tapped holes in the supportingbracket S2. As previously stated, as many additional pairs of offsetguide ngers 88, 9Smay be provided as are required to assure the desiredpositive guiding ofthe corrugated sheet S as it travels to the linerapplying roller S2.

By the offset arrangement of the respective pairs of guide lingersdefining the guide path, the resultant corrugated product will notinclude swaths which are both uncorrugated and unadhered to the liner L.This obviatesthe diiculty which heretofore resulted in structuralweakness of the corrugated paper produced by corrugating machinesincorporating guide fingers arranged. generally in a single plane andextending from the line of intermeshing of the corrugating rollers tothe point` or line at which the liner presses against the crowns of thecorrugated sheet previously provided with the necessary adhesive. j

It has been found that where there are grooves ina corrugating roll themedium S will not be as well formed in that intermediate area as atother points. However; if the groove in the applicator roll 50 isshifted axially so that it does not line up with the imperfectvcorrugations of S, then a uniform adhesive pattern will still beobtained due to the thickness of the adhesive film and a uniformly Onthe other',

bonded single faced board will result. hand. if to the imperfectrformingof the medium S is added the uncertain adhesive application of thegrooved portion of roll 50 then, most certainly, an imperfectly bondedstrip and a weakened board will result.

The adjustable arrangement of the supporting or mounting plate 76 withthe brackets 8), 82 permits the guide fingers 88, 98 to be brought intoregistry with the accommodating circumferential slots on the corrugatingroller 38 and on the adhesive applying roller Si?. The support for themounting plate 76 further assures the proper alignment of the guidengers relative to their respective slots while providing throughsuitable gearing arrangement 70, 68 and 74 means for collectivelyadjusting all the brackets 82 and S9 and associated fingers 9S and 88 ina direction substantially perpendicular to the plane of the axes of therolls 38, 4t), 52.

In this connection it is to be noted that the respective rollers may goout of parallelism due, for example, to warping or distortion of themachine frame or setting of the foundations upon which the machinestands. Accordingly, by the provision of an independent adjustment forthe guide fingers relative to the respective rollers, it is possible toobtain the requisite guiding action without excessive wearing of thefingers and without disrupting the operation of the machine.

In the foregoing I have described my invention solely in connection withspecific illustrative embodiments thereof. Since many variations andmodifications of my invention will now be obvious to those skilled inthe art, I prefer to be bound not by the specific disclosures hereincontained but only by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a machine for facing a corrugated sheet with a liner, a pair ofintermeshing corrugating rollers, a liner applying roller adjacent oneof said corrugating rollers, a first guide finger extending toward theother of said corrugating rollers for holding said sheet in engagementwith said one corrugating roller in the region of said other corrugatingroller, and a second guide finger extending toward said liner applyingroller for holding said sheet in engagement with said one corrugatingroller in the region of said liner applying roller, said first andsecond guide fingers being laterally offset from each other and beingsupported in substantially parallel planes.

2. The combination with a machine for making single face corrugatedpaper including a main roller having a grooved periphery, a firstauxiliary roller cooperating with said main roller along a line ofintermeshing for corrugating a sheet, and a second auxiliary rollercooperating with said main roller along a line of tangency for applyinga liner to the corrugated sheet, a pair of fingers disposed in paralleloffset planes normal to the axis of said main roller for guidinglyengaging said sheet along the path of travel between said first andsecond auxiliary rollers, one of said fingers extending toward andterminating adjacent said line of intermeshing and including a guidesurface substantially complementary to a portion of said main roller,and the other of said fingers extending toward and terminating adjacentsaid line of tangency and including a guide surface substantiallycomplementary to a further portion of said main roller.

3. In a machine for facing a corrugated sheet with a liner, first andsecond rollers intermeshing and serving to corrugate a sheet, a thirdroller cooperating with said second roller and serving to apply a linerto the crowns of the corrugations of said sheet, said rst and thirdrollers being provided with circumferential grooves laterally offsetwith respect to each other, and a guide linger at least partially nestedwithin each of said circumferential grooves and extending along thecircumference of said second roller.

4. In a machine for facing a corrugated sheet with a liner, first andsecond rollers intermeshing and serving to corrugate a sheet, a thirdroller cooperating with said second roller and serving to apply a linerto the crowns of the corrugations of said sheet, said first and thirdro1l ers being provided with a pair of circumferential grooves laterallyoffset with respect to each other, a finger adapted to be at leastpartially nested within each of said circum ferential grooves, each ofsaid fingers including a guide surface adapted to engage said sheetalong its path of travel between said first and third rollers, and meansincluding a common support fixing said fingers in an adjusted positionwherein said guide surfaces define an arcuate guideway for said sheetcoextensive with said path of travel intermediate said rst and thirdrollers.

5. In a machine for facing a corrugated sheet with a liner, a pair ofintermeshing corrugated rollers, a liner applying roller adjacent one ofsaid corrugated rollers, a first finger extending toward the other ofsaid corrugated rollers for holding said sheet in engagement with saidone corrugating roller in the region of said other corrugating roller, asecond finger laterally offset from and parallel to said first fingerand extending toward said liner applying roller for holding said sheetin engagement with said one corrugating roller in the region of saidliner applying roller, said first and second fingers having guidesurfaces adapted to cooperate with each other in an adjusted position todefine a continuous arcuate path for said sheet coextensive with theperiphery of said one corrugating roller intermediate said othercorrugating roller and said liner applying roller, and means forsupporting said first and second fingers in said adjusted position.

6. In a machine for facing a corrugated sheet with a liner, a pair ofintermeshing corrugated rollers rotatable about spaced and parallelaxes, a liner applying roller adjacent one of said corrugating rollersand rotatable about a further axis parallel to said spaced and parallelaxes, said liner applying roller and the other of said corrugatingrollers being provided with longitudinally spaced pairs ofcircumferential grooves, the respective grooves of each pair extendingin offset planes normal to the respective axes, pairs of guide fingersadapted to be at least partially accommodated in the respective pairs ofgrooves, means operatively connected to each pair of guide fingers andmounting same for movement longitudinally of said one corrugating rollerfor adjustment relative to the respective pair of grooves, and furthermeans operatively connected to the guide fingers of each pair andmounting same for movement transversely of said one corrugating rollerfor adjustment into a cooperating position wherein said pairs 'of guidefingers define an arcuate feed path for the corrugated sheet.

7. The combination with a machine for making single faced corrugatedpaper including a main roller having a grooved periphery, a firstauxiliary roller cooperating with said mainroller along a line ofintermeshing for corrugating a sheet, and a second auxiliary rollercooperating with said main roller along a line of tangency for applyinga liner to the corrugated sheet, a pair of fingers adapted to bedisposed in parallel offset planes normal to the axis of said mainroller for guidingly engaging said sheet first between said first andsecond auxiliary rollers, one of said fingers extending toward andterminating adjacent said line of intermeshing and including an arcuateguide surface, the other of said fingers extending toward andterminating adjacent said line of tangency and including another arcuateguide surface, a common support for said pair of fingers, meansoperatively engaging said common support and including detachablesecuring elements mounting said fingers for adjustment into saidparallel offset planes, and further means operatively connected to saidfingers and forming a part of said last-named means mounting saidfingers for adjustment into a predetermined position wherein saidarcuate guide surfaces define a feed path alongk a substantial portionof said main roller.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,043,635 Swift c June 9, 1936Y 2,174,565 Bruker et al. Oct. 3, 19392,542,230 Bruker Feb. 20, 1951

